Sunday Morning Thoughts - Post Oregon

[Uenth]

Note to everybody here: It was expected to be tough, remember?

If you go back and review all the board's takes following last year's Penn State game until this season started, you'd swear there was No Chance in Hell for the Huskers in 2026.

You'd find scores of posts opining there was no way we could compete with the conference's 'Big Boys.' The general consensus was that, given our schedule, seven wins was our ceiling. The most optimistic among us said maybe, just maybe, there was an outside chance for eight if we got lucky.

There is nothing worse than blowout losses...but losing games you believe in your bones you should've won FEEL WORSE in the moment. BUT from a program perspective, the difference between them couldn't be more stark. We're good now. We've gone toe-to-toe with a couple teams I was confidently told we weren't worthy of holding their jock straps only five months ago.
Absolutely. No B1G game is easy, but Neb99 is right. And while it would have sounded like I was high on drugs back in June, it's not beyond the realm of possibility to opine that we could be sitting on eight wins BEFORE facing Ohio State and Iowa.

At the risk of being labeled a 'hopeless' sunshine pumper, I think everyone on the board would have happily accepted that prospect if it had been offered.

Entirely possible Fumble (8 wins prior to OSU and the Hawkeye's). We could shock the Hell out of the football world and win out or the suicide rate in Nebraska could take a huge increase as the 'skers lose out the remaining games and finish 5-7. More likely, it will be somewhere in the middle.

 

[Doc Fumble]

Entirely possible Fumble (8 wins prior to OSU and the Hawkeye's). We could shock the Hell out of the football world and win out or the suicide rate in Nebraska could take a huge increase as the 'skers lose out the remaining games and finish 5-7. More likely, it will be somewhere in the middle.

If you bet on Nebraska to cover the spread this season, you'd have won every game thus far.

FWIW, Nebraska will be favored in each of its next three games.

 

[KansasRed]

Something is wrong. I'm not smart enough or knowledgeable enough to know what it is, but I can tell. We should be 7-0 right now but we just don't have a 'refuse to lose" mindset. Yeah our kids play hard. Yeah we've got some gamers. But it's like they send out a 2nd half or 4th Q checklist that says "What does Nebraska need to do to lose this game" and we check all the boxes. I'm old, I'm tired, I'm disappointed and I'm angry. I do not need this level of frustration in my life. I don't expect perfection. I don't expect to win every game. I don't believe Nebraska will ever again achieve the level of dominance we've enjoyed in the past, But I do by God think that we ought to be winning these winnable games instead of just lying down and giving them away.

 

[OhioHusker]

Reflecting on last night, and honestly still drunk, this is a better team with bad coaches. I'll just say for a second straight week that I'm sad. Game that should have been won that was lost. Bummer.

 

[justino52]

This was the ultimate example of just let Nebraska figure out how not to win. Let Nebraska implode and do things to cost them. The run game is yet again horrible. Zero rhythm. I don't trust Holgorson at this point to call a consistent game. Or use power formations to control to clock.

Anyway, anything I post will be negative.

Nebraska did Nebraska things to lose.

The next four teams will be using backup QBs. That doesn't bode well for Nebraska.

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

In both of the last two games, according to the ESPN win probability tracker, Nebraska was above 85%, and lost. While I think the offense, or lack thereof, bears the brunt of this loss, it was incomprehensible watching Nebraska play defense against Raiola and not bring plus pressure. UCLA brought pressure 60% of the time. We know Dylan. We know what happens when he's under pressure. Incomprehensible.

 

[OhioHusker]

In both of the last two games, according to the ESPN win probability tracker, Nebraska was above 85%, and lost. While I think the offense, or lack thereof, bears the brunt of this loss, it was incomprehensible watching Nebraska play defense against Raiola and not bring plus pressure. UCLA brought pressure 60% of the time. We know Dylan. We know what happens when he's under pressure. Incomprehensible.

It's time we admit this is a very badly coached team. Better players, terrible coaches.

 

[Hunchback Johnny]

If you bet on Nebraska to cover the spread this season, you'd have won every game thus far.

FWIW, Nebraska will be favored in each of its next three games.

7-0 ATS baby! What that means is the bar was set very, very low by the oddsmakers this season.

Fun fact while on the subject of betting odds. Matt Rhule has not won a single game as the betting underdog in 4 seasons at Nebraska. Not one. Whether the point spread is 1 or 25, as it was against OSU last season, Nebraska has NEVER been an outright winner against a favorite.

I don't know if that points to coaching or coaching, but it's one of the two.

 

[Hunchback Johnny]

Well, been out on a multi day several hundred mile bicycle ride so I’ve missed all the build up and goings on with NU football. Found a hotel just so I could watch the game, but still saw Dylan beat us on a last s second play. What a butt kick. Pay him 7 mil and put up with his uncles poor coaching and recruiting just to have him close the door and beat us

I’m still on board with this staff and Rhule, but don’t blame those who throw in the towel. This roller coaster ride is tough.

A roller coaster implies we've had our ups and downs. In 4 seasons Coach Matt has risen the bar to where we should now expect the Huskers to prevail against teams who have about 60% or less of the budget Nebraska has for football. That in itself is an upgrade over Frost. If a team is on equal footing with Nebraska talent wise, Coach Matt is Ofer.

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2111711390620672096

 

[Jimbosc]

I didn't expect to win - but the D was lights out from the git go and gave us a chance to win. Oregon found a way to move the ball late - more about their running game not DR - looked like the D got a bit worn out in 4th quarter. Only way to counter that is for the offense to hold the ball when it got to 14-9. We looked lost on offense several times - although AC10 is such a gamer he managed to will us to the 2 TDs.

Can we play better - on offense for sure. Defense gave a game winning effort but they had to close the game out and couldn't do it. Was that bad play calling on our DC.....not sure. Looked more like Oregon wore us a down just enough and maybe we tightened up in a close game.....again.

Only way to get past this crap is to win a close game - doesn't matter against who. 5-2 is where we expected to be right now before game one.

Offense has to figure out a way to be more consistent - and I don't think Dana called a great game last night. Although it is hard to get the right call when you don't hold blocks and we did that plenty.

 

[KansasRed]

I DID expect to win. However I expected our offense to do much more than it did. Defense played lights out except on the Raiola drive. Why we did not pressure him is simply unbelievable. We know him, our coaches know him, we know that he gets frustrated and makes bad decisions under pressure. If our DC wasn't calling it, Rhule is the by-God HEAD COACH. Tell him to do it! If you let Raiola stand back there he will eventually find someone to throw to; any QB will; given time. I believe coaches somehow double-think themselves into bad decisions: "he probably thinks we'll send pressure, so we won't: that'll confuse him!" The old "they think we'll run so we gotta pass" and vice versa. Sometimes the obvious play is the right one! I think Rhule has too much of the NFL coaching attitude: 1) They don't have time to do what they need to do to beat us (ala Andy Reid), or 2) Everything has to go perfectly for them to beat us, and I don't think it will. Well guess what: it did.

 

[Crusader Husker]

I coached HS FB a few years ago. The one thing I remember our head coach and the staff telling kids over and over again. Control the controllable. I saw it several times: we do a lot of little things that add up to a lot at the end of the game.

Special teams. We need a new kick returner. How many yards did we give up by not fair catching? Our KOR runs BACKWARDS at times. Plant your foot and GO! (There is a theme here)

Our punting?? Good and awful.

RUN THE DARN BALL!! Oregon beat us by running the ball at the end. Look it up. RB Nelson needs to put his foot in the ground and freaking go. Nelson dances in the hole. Put your freaking head down and run behind your pads. He leaves many yards on the field. I think 2 to 3 yards per run. Plant your foot and go. We played a great defense. Get your yards. AC on the pick should have planted his foot and gone. He would have gotten 5+ yards.

PLANT YOUR FOOT AND GO!!!! OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

Send DR pressure!!!! UUUUUGGGGHHHHH!

We need to overhaul the O as we did to the D.

We need a new OC. HCMR is not going to be fired unless Warren Buffett steps in. It's less about the personnel and more about the design and calling. We need to figure it out. AC can be elite, but we need to help him.

Our coaches can control all of this. ALL OF IT.

I am taking a break from Husker football. Only partially because of this game. I have a Capstone project due at the end of the week. I have got to get this done! I will be around later. I just can't right now.

PS. Caleb Benning balled out last night.

 

[Huskergod84]

View attachment 9976

ANOTHER HEARTBREAKER. I really thought we had this one – we were just one play away from getting it done. So damn close against both Indiana and Oregon. The defense played tough but we needed a Colandrea-style difference maker on defense down the stretch and didn’t get one. This was a very tough one to lose--especially considering how we lost it and who did it to us. I’m glad we’ve got a Bye Week to regroup.

IT'S 2 AM. 'nuff said.

GO BIG RED!

No way are you blaming this loss on the defense!!! The offense could only muster two drives all night. They did absolutely NOTHING. This loss is strictly on the offense.

 

[Doc Fumble]

No way are you blaming this loss on the defense!!! The offense could only muster two drives all night. They did absolutely NOTHING. This loss is strictly on the offense.

I was wishing in the wee hours in the immediate aftermath of the game that we'd have had someone step up on D to stop that last drive. To paraphrase the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson: "Where have you gone, Malcolm Hartzog??

But I agree with your point and said the same thing last week: You can't expect to win in this league if you can't score 4 TDs a game. The last two we've scored 17 and 14 points respectively. That ain't gonna cut it.

 

[innmc]

It is going to have to happen behind the doors from within the team. Leaders are going to have to emerge, and the coaches have to step up to find a way to win these types of games. Our record is what I was hoping for earlier this season but dang it we were so close the last two weeks.

 

[Righteous Red]

Thanks Doc again for your early morning presser. Normally I respond within minutes. Wife and I were visiting G-Kids and family in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, so this is the first time I read this post. My thoughts:

* Why didn’t we blitz DR? Some disguised blitzes that were not shown earlier could have been a game changer in the 4th Qtr. Coaches have to reach down and use plays in the arsenal that haven’t been used.

* Running backs looked different yesterday. They ran tentatively, tiptoeing, looking for holes, meanwhile, the holes are already closing. Didn’t see that violent running style we saw in previous games.

* Disappointed in our STs, punting, kickoff returns, we automatically make the field 10-15 yds longer by not fair catching.

* 10:00 PM game starts here in God’s country and 11:00 PM East coast should not be allowed.

During the last two weeks our D has been spectacular, the Offense really needs to develop, invent, create a fourth quarter offense. No trick plays, just like Oregon inserted DR to change things up, and no offense to AC, but our 3rd string QB has a good passing pedigree, we needed to get our wide receivers more involved. Oregon changed up, I think we needed to inject something into our offense.

Otherwise it was a great weekend in Wisconsin, Fall colors were stunning, Badgers lost, we wore our Husker volleyball gear to our Granddaughter’s HS volleyball tournament, got some huff and grief from Badger fans, my Brewers are going to the series, wish Bob Uecker was around to see them advance.

 

[OhioHusker]

Now that I've sobered up, and that's a relatively term, I will say this. This is a better talent team with the same bad coaching. Rhule is the common bad coach theme, but Im really shocked the new D coordinator or the former D1 offensive coordinator haven't been able to sway the very bad head coach. You would think the most incompetent voice in the room would get drowned out, but maybe once you come to Lincoln all your abilities go out the window .

All that matters is this is the best Nebraska will be with Matt Rhule, and that's not good enough.

 

[innmc]

 

[Removed Spleen of Jordan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2111892729777246579